Dog found with mouth sliced open, missing teeth - Seattle, WA

Saturday, May 16, 2009

County: King

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: 15 year old male

King County prosecutors have filed animal cruelty charges against a Seattle teen accused of slicing several teeth out of a dog's mouth.

The dog's owner told police she returned from work on May 16 to find her dog, Hazel, shrieking in pain, according to court documents. Opening the door to her home, she found the dog bleeding severely from her mouth and missing several teeth.

She rushed the dog to Green Lake Animal Hospital, where Hazel was sedated. The woman told police she then returned home to find a blood trail in the backyard of her North Seattle home leading to a shared fence.

According to court documents, the woman told police she discovered a pool of blood that apparently had been sprayed with water in an effort to clean it. Concerned that a neighbor boy had injured her dog, she confronted the 15-year-old resident about Hazel's injuries.

The woman told officers the boy told her he may have accidentally hit the dog while mowing his parents' lawn, according to court documents. The woman became concerned when she realized her neighbor's lawn didn't extend to the area where Hazel was injured.

Returning to the veterinarian days later, the woman was told her dog's injuries were much more severe.

"The veterinarian told (the woman) that Hazel needed surgery because her canine (tooth) had been sliced vertically and the nerve exposed to air was causing Hazel enormous pain," Detective Jim Frese said in court documents. "Hazel's wound was made, 'With almost surgical precision' and could only have been caused by a sharp blade moving fast."

Police went on to claim that, after being read his rights, the teen said he "may have" intentionally stabbed the dog. No allegations are made as to exactly what weapon was used or why the boy may have stabbed the dog.

The teen has been charged with first-degree animal cruelty, a felony. He has not entered a plea in the case.

References

• Seattle Post-Intelligencer - July 27, 2009

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